Concrete panels or slabs are used in a myriad of applications commercially, industrially and residentially: from the construction of a deck or a patio to the foundation of buildings and other forms of industrial infrastructure.
There are two main methods to assemble a reinforced concrete panel. First, for smaller or bespoke jobs, the panel is fully constructed in situ. Here the placement of side-forms and reinforcement mesh is laid out on site, and concrete is poured to cure or set in place. While this method produces custom-made panels, there are no standard panel kits currently available, thus the individual construction of panels is time-consuming, requires skill and expertise to do properly, and can entail high costs including but not limited to on-site labour, supervision and quality control.
The second, alternative method is a ‘precast’ method. This involves the full assembly of the formwork, and the pouring, setting and curing of the concrete in a remote location e.g. factory or builders yard. The completed panels are then transported to the site for use ready to be oriented and installed in the predetermined configuration. This method gives high quality control over the panel in the factory, and overall labour expenses are reduced. However, transport of the precast concrete panels is expensive and cumbersome due to their weight and bulk. There is additional cost and manpower required to further move the panels around a site and there is the inherent risk of damage to the panels during both transportation and installation on the site.
Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Although any methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can also be used in the practice or testing of the present invention, a limited number of the exemplary methods and materials are described herein.